Ecliptic Projector ?

Dooby · Post by **Dooby** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 18:22

How do i turn the Ecliptic Projector on????

cant find the key setting for it

Post by **CBJ** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 18:28

There isn't one in X3TC.

Cker · Post by **Cker** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 18:34

NooooOOoOOOOO!
Please say it will come back in a patch? I needed it to help me find gates.

Post by **CBJ** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 18:37

It might have done in older games but with gates all over the place now it has been all but useless for a while.

Goldfinch · Post by **Goldfinch** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 18:49

Couldn't you have let the players decide whether it's useless or not? I find it really helpful for reorientating myself after a dogfight or undocking, so I can work out which way is 'up' without spinning my ship around and watching the map.

Tekky · Post by **Tekky** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 20:32

I also miss the ecliptic projector very much..... Orientation is very hard without it!

The Boz · Post by **The Boz** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 21:25

Maybe new functionality should be added into a new and very expensive type of projector? The last one was named Ecliptic, I've no idea why, so maybe this one could be... Parabolic? Hyperbolic? Quadrant?

Anyway, it would outline a huge blue line coming out from every gate and stretching into infinity. The huge blue line would only be seen if one was within scanner distance of any point of the line itself. It would minimally reduce the tedium of scouring for hidden gates in extreme places, like to and from Unknown Sectors, but would do wonders for foggy and asteroid-rich sector navigation.

Eandir · Post by **Eandir** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 21:45

Goldfinch wrote:

Couldn't you have let the players decide whether it's useless or not? I find it really helpful for reorientating myself after a dogfight or undocking, so I can work out which way is 'up' without spinning my ship around and watching the map.

I was once like you. Then i stopped caring what side was "up" since space has no up.

Just start plopping your stations down every which way and break yourself of the habit.

Danya Turrel · Post by **Danya Turrel** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 21:52

The Boz wrote:Maybe new functionality should be added into a new and very expensive type of projector? The last one was named Ecliptic, I've no idea why, so maybe this one could be... Parabolic? Hyperbolic? Quadrant?

I never could figure out what the projector was for anyway. But for the purpose you are describing I think it should be a Quantum Gyroscope or something like that.

Goldfinch · Post by **Goldfinch** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 21:56

Eandir wrote:
Goldfinch wrote:

Couldn't you have let the players decide whether it's useless or not? I find it really helpful for reorientating myself after a dogfight or undocking, so I can work out which way is 'up' without spinning my ship around and watching the map.
I was once like you. Then i stopped caring what side was "up" since space has no up.

I'm aware of that. The problem is when you can't tell which way your facing for navigation. Especially when you don't have the gate you want on your map yet, or in sectors where you can't see more than 5 metres in front of you.

BugMeister · Post by **BugMeister** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 22:58

- it's even more difficult in empty sectors, where you haven't any reference points..

- besides, it reminds me of those Einstein's Theory of Relativity explanations..

..maybe a curved one could be devised, utilising his space/time methodology..
- probably need a Cray to make it work, though..
- any brilliant mathematicians out there..??

- in X3:R, I installed my PHQ upside-down in Friar's Retreat..
- you could hear the Paranid laughing three sectors away..

Gazz · Post by **Gazz** » Thu, 23. Oct 08, 23:28

This
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=218521
is the closest thing to a TC ecliptic projector so far.

It would technically be possible to mod an EC, though.
Create a huge model of the grid and spawn it with collision detection off.

Just gotta find someone to do it. =)

shireknight · Post by **shireknight** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 03:52

Actually I would rather see a longer range scanner than the Triplex because I must be the only player on the board who has never, ever found an abandoned ship in any of the x-games sigh. (yes I've done some of the return my ship BBS missions in TC but I mean I've never found a ship that Egosoft have left out for us to find) and no I don't want anyone to tell me where they are thank you lol

ephemeron · Post by **ephemeron** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 04:08

The Boz wrote:Maybe new functionality should be added into a new and very expensive type of projector? The last one was named Ecliptic, I've no idea why, so maybe this one could be... Parabolic? Hyperbolic? Quadrant?

It's a real term from astronomy. The ecliptic plane is the plane that Earth's orbit is in, which is close enough to being the plane that the other planets orbit in, too.

So by extension, in the X-Universe, the ecliptic of a sector is defined by... the zero-values of a couple of arbitrary coordinates.

Elucca · Post by **Elucca** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 04:26

Hm, i don't think it was completely useless.
After a battle, docking, or whatever i might have to reorient myself with the sector to find anything. In TC this usually takes going to the map, finding a suitable target and targeting it. I think it was easier when i could just use the ecliptic projector. While the gates and especially stations aren't set perfectly on a 2D plane, they aren't exactly all over the place either.

Ceryk · Post by **Ceryk** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 06:47

Elucca wrote:Hm, i don't think it was completely useless.
After a battle, docking, or whatever i might have to reorient myself with the sector to find anything. In TC this usually takes going to the map, finding a suitable target and targeting it. I think it was easier when i could just use the ecliptic projector. While the gates and especially stations aren't set perfectly on a 2D plane, they aren't exactly all over the place either.

I loved it in previous X games, but X3 it was useless. It almost never was never anywhere near the plane of play and always way off in the distance where it wasn't any good to anyone. I do miss it though. I just liked it as an amusing toy.

humility925 · Post by **humility925** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 07:21

I always buy those in X-3 and X-2, but however I dont use that's much, but still I buy those stuff, I guess I want everything instal in my personal ship for role-playing reason.

tatakau · Post by **tatakau** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 07:38

deleted

phoenix-it · Post by **phoenix-it** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 07:43

If you set your control options to "Automatically Level Out" I believe that will give you ecliptic orientation.

Gazz · Post by **Gazz** » Fri, 24. Oct 08, 12:57

Well, no. It only fixes rotation - with a twist.
If you (accidentially or not) rotate the ship manually, the autorotate will make that the default rotation from then on.
I don't find that very useful.